The sight of calisthenics athletes doing amazing pull-ups and incredible muscle-ups may be a deterrent for you to try out this form of exercise. You might be thinking that it would be impossible for you to ever succeed in performing these calisthenics exercises, so why even try?
But while these moves do require immense strength and flexibility, you might be surprised to know that calisthenics is probably one of the most forgiving workout routines making it perfect even for people who would rather hug the couch than exercise.
Eliminate Exercise Excuses with Calisthenics
Calisthenics is not a new trend or a fitness buzzword. It is a form of exercise that has been done since ancient times wherein the only form of resistance is bodyweight. The best calisthenics workouts target multiple compound muscle groups giving you a full body training using only your bodyweight.
While challenging exercises such as pull-ups, planches and handstands are more often associated with this type of exercise, some of the exercises you have learned as a kid like jumping jacks, squats, crunches and push-ups are also great examples of calisthenics exercises that are effective in jumpstarting your fitness routine.
With a calisthenics routine, you can actually eliminate some of the most common excuses for missing a workout session: lack of time, lack of space, and lack of budget. This is a do-anywhere, do-anytime, and budget-friendly workout. What this means is that you don’t really need an expensive gym membership or massive pieces of exercise equipment to start a calisthenics routine. Because all you need is yourself, you can exercise with minimal space and at your own time. You won’t even need to leave the comforts of your home, change up your schedule or spend any cash to begin exercising.
Another popular excuse for procrastinating on your fitness goals is lack of fitness ability. Many people feel that they are too far-gone in their unhealthy ways to even attempt exercising again. There is fear that they cannot perform the exercises correctly which will only bring embarrassment and frustration. With calisthenics, this problem is not an issue at all. The beauty of calisthenics is that it is highly adaptable so it can suit anyone of any fitness level.
You can choose calisthenics exercises that you can perform and modify their degree of difficulty as you build your strength. Even if you think that you’re the worst when it comes to performing exercises, there will still be a calisthenics exercise that you can definitely do.
The Best Calisthenics Workout for Beginners
Of course it will be impossible for you to do a full muscle-up if you haven’t done any calisthenics practice before. Like any other exercise program, you would have to start with the basics but unlike other routines, you can adjust the intensity of the workout depending on your present fitness ability by increasing the speed or duration of the workout.
If you are not familiar with bodyweight exercises, the first step is to practice the basic moves such as push-ups, squats, bench dips, inverted rows and leg raises. Once you learn these exercises and after building enough strength, you can progress by practicing pull-ups, chin-ups and parallel bar dips.
Don’t put yourself under time pressure or force yourself to complete a number of repetitions or multiple sets while learning the exercises separately. Keep in mind that mastering the exercises individually with the accurate form is important to make your routine effective.
Only after you master these exercises, you can then try doing a beginner calisthenics workout at home that combines these exercises for at least three times a week. If you are already familiar with the basics, then you can proceed to a basic routine to get your body used to the different moves.
You can easily level up your workout with calisthenics
When you are using a weight machine in the gym, the way to level up is by increasing the weight as you progress. With calisthenics, just by changing the position of your body, you can already vary the exercise. A push-up is a great example of a basic exercise with numerous possibilities. Beginners can start with incline push-ups and decrease the incline gradually to make the exercise more difficult. This gradual progression allows you to build strength in your arms until you have enough strength to perform the standard floor push-ups.
An important benefit of being able to progress your workout to suit your fitness level is safety. You will not force or push your muscles beyond their capacity, which means you are less prone to injury. With calisthenics, you are not only building your strength, you’re also improving your mobility, flexibility and balance which enhances your overall fitness.
So if you’re still thinking that you are not fit enough for calisthenics, throw that though away and give it a try right now.
